


Nathanaël Has His Work Cut Out

by KNR_fangirling



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 07:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6319996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KNR_fangirling/pseuds/KNR_fangirling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathanaël didn't mean to learn what he learned, but now that he knew, he was going to set up these two idiots, even if he goes crazy doing it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Reveal

Nathanaël did not expect his day to go like this...

When they announced a new panther at the zoo he had been excited. He went with his sketchbook in hand, ready to draw the day away. From big cats, to small birds, and, maybe, a few scaly critters; he was ready to learn all he could.

What he did learn, he had NOT planned on.

When the animals attacked, he made a mad dash for safety. The nearest cover had ended up being up a tree. He scaled it as quickly as his short legs would allow him. He figured, the higher he was the safer he was. He had been right, and, as a bonus, it also gave him a great vantage point to see when the coast was clear.

He looked over the park. He could see the animals moving towards the exit and FAR away from him. He could also see Marinette and Adrien hiding. They were opposite each other, behind bushes, with the pathway separating them. He sighed in relief upon realizing his classmates were safe. He would have hated for anything to have happen to them.

Then the strangest thing happened.

Both Marinette and Adrien started talking to something. Somethings that had zipped out, from somewhere on their persons, and dove out in front of them. Nathanaël didn't really have a chance to question it too much, because his classmates suddenly shouted something, a flash of light happened, and Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing in their places.

Nathanaël's jaw dropped.

He couldn't believe it.

Paris' greatest heroes... were his classmates...

He couldn't un-see what he just saw. All he could do was sit in the tree he was hiding in, and evaluate what just happened.

....

How does one react to this...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited and Updated 1.2.18


	2. They Don't Know

Nathanaël had watched the whole exchange from afar.  From what he could gather, Chat Noir and Ladybug had NO idea who each other were.  Not even an inkling!  He was frustrated FOR them.

 The girl he had been in love with was literally evading the advances of the boy she liked.  Scratch that!  She was talking, flirting, and SASSING the boy that, mind you, she normally couldn't say two words to, AND she had no idea.

He metaphorically threw his hands up in the air.  He would love to do it for real, but he didn't want to give away his hiding place behind a mailbox.

It was actually pretty painful to witness.  Nathanaël was tempted to NEVER say anything to her, because this was going to get messy.  The poor girl is going to explode.  Or implode.  He wasn't at the moment sure which one was worse.

It was also pretty sad that he had managed to follow both of them this whole time, and they still hadn't noticed him.  That was mildly concerning, knowing these two were supposed to be the protectors of the city.  Then again, there was currently a very big, very  _distracting,_ dinosaur in the middle of the street.  He'll forgive them, this time.

Watching them interact had been enlightening, though.

He knew Marinette had a hard time talking to Adrien because of her feelings.  She always stuttered, got flustered, and ran.  Adrien couldn't so much as look at her without an unintelligent, random, Marinette noise escaping her in response.  Her love for the boy was one of the reasons he never confessed to her.  Well... as himself anyway.  Akuma him doesn't count.

It was probably a good thing, seeing as how her love for Adrien had helped him move on.  It was hard, coming to the realization that you were in love with the idea of someone, instead of being in love with them for who they really are.

And Adrien!!  Nathanaël had seen numerous girls be turned down by the blond, over the brief period of time he has known him.  Gently, of course. But still!  It happened so often, Nathanaël was actually beginning to believe the boy was gay.  Nope!  Not gay!  Just blinder than a bat, and so in love with his partner that he couldn't even tell her civilian form sat behind him in class!

He guessed Marinette was no better.  If she didn't like Chat Noir as much as she liked Adrien, then, it was probably the same problem.

His stomach turned as he realized something.

God!  Come to think of it; it's a good thing Marinette hasn't built up the courage to confess yet.  Adrien wouldn't know she was Ladybug and reject her.  Nathanaël also had a feeling that Chloé would _somehow_ make it worse, and then BAM! Akuma Ladybug.

Crap... what do you do, when the only hero who can cure an Akuma, becomes one, herself?

This was frustrating.  Why was this so frustrating?!

He peeked from around the mailbox and watched, as the two heroes ran around the dinosaur, and used a car as a shield.... 

How could they not notice?!  And, he wasn't just talking about the heroes.  How did their WHOLE class not _notice_?  How did NINO AND ALYA not notice?!  They were their best friends!

This was Adrien and Marinette as their truest selves.  All they could be was laid out before everyone to see.  If only they would notice.

It was in that moment the Nathanaël decided.  He was going to set up these two fools so that they could have their happily ever after.  He didn't care how much he sounded like Rose.

Speaking of Rose, he would get her involved.  Hell, he'd get the whole class in on it if he had to.  It'll be grea--OH MY GOD!  MARINETTE JUST GOT EATEN BY A T-REX!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 1.2.18


	3. How Can They NOT Know?!

The last several hours had been an emotional roller-coaster for Nathanaël. How Adrien and Marinette haven't had heart attacks yet, or gone bald from stress, he would never know. More power to them, because, if HE had ever seen the woman or man he was in love with go through HALF of what Chat Noir and Ladybug have seen each other go through, he'd wrap them in bubble wrap, and NEVER let them leave a cushioned room.

He dropped his head onto his desk. A thud resonated through his bedroom.

After he had recovered from watching Marinette get chomped by a dinosaur, only to use a car jack to pry open it's mouth, he vowed to find out EXACTLY how often these types of things happened. Especially after seeing Chat Noir cave like that.

Adrien had gone complete white, and, didn't look all that much better when Marinette was revealed to be alright. He engulfed her in a tight hug. Nathanaël could tell he was afraid to let go; that, he thought she might not be there if he did.

It didn't really surprise Nathanaël all that much. He was tempted to go over there and hug her, too. Ladybug, however, was surprised by the sudden embrace.

He didn't understand why until hours later, when he was watching all the footage of them. He'd been sitting at his desk for over three hours now; watching and reading, every, single thing Alya put on her blog. He actually learned a lot.

Thank you stalker Alya!!

Speaking of her, he had to seriously wonder how the blogger missed the fact that her best friend was Ladybug. I mean, she only watched Ladybug's every movement like her life depended on it. Hm... It was something to ponder later.

What he gathered, so far, was that Chat Noir had always respected Ladybug's space. He would always leave it once she pushed him away; not trying his luck again until their next meeting. Him clinging to her, after being pushed away earlier, was a little out of character.

Another thing he'd learned, was that it was the opposite of what he originally thought. By the looks of it, Adrien was the one constantly taking the hits. In fact, if Nathanaël's research was anything to go by, this was the first time that Marinette had done the sacrificing. She never really had the chance before, because when it came to self-sacrificing, Adrien was always one step ahead of her.

Nathanaël rubbed his face in frustration.

In every recorded case, before today, Adrien had thrown himself in harm's way with little regards for himself. That was mildly alarming. That boy needed some counseling. Also, he wondered if Marinette would be as forgiving when she found out who Chat Noir really was?

That wasn't the only thing he realized from the videos. One; he and his classmates were dumb. Like, REALLY, really dumb! Capital D, and everything.... 

After viewing the footage several times, he came to conclusion that the only reason no one noticed Marinette was Ladybug (or that Adrien was Chat Noir) was because there was some weird magic in play. That HAD to be it.

They, on several occasions, basically admitted to who they were. The clues were so glaring, that, if it had been a snake, it would have bit them.

Nathanaël was assuming, and hoping (God was he hoping), that, because he witnessed the transformation in person, the magic was broken, and he was able to connect the dots. It's what he was choosing to believe and no one could tell him otherwise.

Two, was that Chat Noir and Ladybug's magic also worked against each other. Someone, from the Mayor's Hotel, had uploaded footage of Ladybug and Chat Noir when they were protecting Chloe from him when he was Evillustrator. It had recorded Ladybug telling Chat Noir that Chloé wasn't the target, but, rather Marinette was, and that he needed to go protect her, because, she, Ladybug, was going on a secret mission.

Which, as a side not, he should probably be freaking out that he kidnapped Ladybug. Adding that to the list of things to deal with (freakout about) later.

The fact that Chat Noir didn't see through that was what made Nathanaël consider the magic thing all over again. Adrien was in the top five of their class. The boy couldn't be that dense while being that smart. Magic! Definitely magic!

There was also footage someone took of Chat Noir showing off to Marinette after Sabrina had run off. Marinette was mocking him behind his back and fawning over him to his face. It would have been funny if it wasn't slightly cruel, but, with all the additional videos he watched, he guessed that was their relationship.

He had to wonder how they would interact as Adrien and Ladybug? Had THEY had an encounter yet? Wait! What was he saying?! ... Wait... Oh... Oh god....

OH MY GOD!!! It's like a bad romance novel!!

Nathanaël grabbed his head in exasperation.

They would have different ship names if this was one of his comics! It's a freaking love square! It's a love square with two people!! How one earth is he going to go about doing this? Why did he decide he WANTED to do this?!

He got up and flopped onto his bed, face crashing into his pillow.

He actually couldn't wait to see what they would be like once their personas meshed. If it was anything like he thought it was going to be, they were made for each other. Hm... that was a thought... He shipped it.

A groan echoed through his room. 

Oh god, did he ship it... Crap...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My auto correct keeps trying to change Nathanaël to Nathaniel. It's very frustrating. I keep having to hunt for them and fix them.  
> Edit: 1.2.18


	4. How Did WE Not Know??

Nathanaël sat in class with his arms crossed. Operation "Get Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Chat Noir together" was a go. It had been a few weeks since he discovered their identities. By now, everyone in their class had been turned into an Akuma. Even the new girl, Lila, had been victim. What a shit show that had been!

He had planned on starting with his operation much sooner, but, he felt more research was needed. So, he watched, and he waited. He had become a second Alya with all his stalking (granted, he didn't let them know he was there like she did), and, he felt confident that he had a greater understanding of whom Adrien, Marinette, Chat Noir, and, Ladybug, really were.

He now knew, that Marinette will say a complete different answer as Ladybug, then she would as herself. Adrien, however, did no such thing to hide himself. An example was, in class, Rose asked everyone their favorite flower for a gift she wanted to give out.

Marinette had answered Daisies; a cheerful, warm, and encouraging smile on her face as she done so. Adrien had said roses; having spent several minutes thinking about it. Later, Rose had asked the hero duo (who had just got done purifying one of the upperclassman), what THEY liked. Chat Noir had given a quick answer of Roses. He had said it so proudly, Nathanaël could only imagine it was because of how easy it came to him this time. He even made a reference to Rose's name when he had said it. Ladybug, after a beat, had said she agreed. Unlike Marinette, though, she had a sly smile on her face when she said it; like she knew a secret.

The gift was perfume. Rose had made it herself with a kit she had gotten as a gag gift, after she had become an Akuma. Nathanaël thought the gift cruel but Rose had LOVED it. A week after she had asked, she brought several small, glass, spray bottles to school. Each classmate, boy and girl, got a perfume based on the flower they choose. It was so adorably Rose, everyone accepted it happily. Even Kim didn't make a fuss at the “girly” gift.

Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't get theirs right away. Rose had become disheartened at the fact that the Akuma attacks weren't happening at school recently.

When Adrien and Marinette were in ear shot, he made sure to tell Rose to ask Alya to give it to them. The blogger had a habit of seeing Chat Noir and Ladybug more than anyone else in their class.

Alya agreed, but Rose really seemed like she wanted to be the one to give them the gifts herself.

Marinette and Adrien had chosen then to jump in.

"Why don't you get them while they're on patrol," Adrien had suggested.

"Yeah," Marinette had joined in. "I'm sure if you called them over during their patrol they'd stop by for you."

Nathanaël wanted to smack his forehead at what followed.

"Wait," Alya had stopped them. "You mean you two have seen Ladybug and Chat Noir, at night?"

"Uh..." They both managed to get out as they realized their mistake.

It wasn't really a secret that the duo did patrolling. What was a secret, though, was the root they took. Nathanaël, once knowing who they were, realized that both of them did a lot of patrolling near their homes. It was a problem he was eventually going to bring up, but it seems like they were about to figure it out.

"Not always," Marinette had answered. "I usually only see Ladybug from my balcony," followed by a nervous chuckle. “She’s usually far away though.”

"I usually only see Chat Noir," Adrien had added.

SERIOUSLY?! It was official. Nathanaël didn't even think they tried to hide their identities anymore. If he wasn't in the middle of the group he would be face palming right now.

"Do you know what this means?" Alya had squealed, jumping out of her seat. "Ladybug probably lives near you, Marinette, and Chat Noir must live near you, Adrien!!"

Nathanaël had watched as the two tried, and failed, in correcting their mistakes. It didn't help though; Alya had made a plan to try and catch them go home. It had been awful. A whole week of Chat Noir and Ladybug diving behind alleys and billboards, to make sure Alya wasn't around. The paranoia had seeped into their civilian lives making for two extra jumpy superheroes.

It finally dulled down when Nathanaël mentioned, in passing, that he saw Ladybug and Chat Noir heading towards where Nino and Alya lived, one day, and someone, jokingly, asked if they were secretly the heroes. When they realized how crazy they were being, Marinette and Adrien finally got a break.

He found the funny looks they gave him for his lie amusing.

Several similar instances followed, thanks to Alya. When asked what their favorite foods were, Adrien and Chat had both said Macaroons, while Marinette had answered cheese, and Ladybug had answered cookies. There was a particularly funny moment with Adrien, when Marinette had mentioned Charambert was her favorite. The boy looked so horrified, and, to this day, Nathanaël has NO idea why. It was hilarious though.

Later, they were asked their favorite color. Adrien and Chat's answer had been blue; both times he said it, he had a dopy look on his face. Nathanaël realized, later, that it was because of Marinette and Ladybug's eyes were blue. That boy was going to give him diabetes. Marinette had answered pink so quickly that Nathanaël almost got whiplash. Ladybug took a bit longer. She gazed off in the distance and then answered green with a happy sigh. Nathanaël looked to where she was looking and saw one of Adrien's modeling ads. The only color in the black and white image was Adrien's eyes. His very green eyes… Good god these two were sappy! He was going to be sick. They were WORSE than a crappy romance novel!

Just rescently, animals came up. Chat and Adrien had said cats, like it was the most obvious answer in the world. Ladybug had said dogs; much to Chat's heart ache. Marinette had said hamsters. There were multiple things like this, that came up in different interviews and class discussions that, if Nathanaël hadn't witnessed it himself, would have made him question if he was mistaken. Conclusion, Marinette was a LOT more conscious about hiding her identity then Chat was.

It made him question which ones were the girl’s real favorites and how she kept the answers straight?

Another thing, that bothered him was Adrien's LACK of trying. He didn't hold back anything when he was Chat. It was like having an Adrien with no restraints. Or, Adrien x10, as Nathanaël had began calling it, in his head.

His appearance was a little different, unlike Ladybug, but all you had to do was see Adrien with bed head, and the connection would be made. Nathanaël had learned that when he had woke the blond from a nap one day.

Everything else was Adrien. Then, he realized the truth. This was Adrien, MINUS the Agreste, that is. After thinking about it long and hard, he concluded that Chat Noir was the true Adrien. The one who didn't have to hold back and be proper because of a family name. The one not constantly having to worry about getting into trouble. The one who didn't have to be careful about every little thing. A "free" Adrien, if you will.

Nathanaël cried for him that night. To realize the suffering he must have experienced before he became Chat Noir was a little TOO much for the artist to handle.

He was even more determined to get them together. Marinette would give Adrien all the love he needed and, better, she would let him love her the way he needed to love someone.

The plans were fully started that same night.

Now, as Nathanaël sat in class, he began to put the plan into motion.

Phase One: Are Alya and Nino playing dumb or do they really not know their best friends are their idols?

He had to tread lightly. He was pretty sure both of them didn't actually know. He didn't want to FULLY reveal the heroes but, he wasn't above planting the seeds.

He decided to start with Alya. She'd be the easiest with her blog being the topic of discussion.

He waited until after class was over. When the bell rang he got up and hurried down the steps to the ambry haired girl.

Here goes nothing…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't currently have a BETA. Please inform me of mistakes.  
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> This was a quick writing warm up I did to try and work through the issues I was having with Chapter Two of Tikki's Meet(ing) with... Story. Hope you like it! :)


End file.
